Becoming a GP in Australia

Pre-Employment Structured Clinical Interview (PESCI)

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners currently delivers the PESCI in three states, namely South Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales.

The information below provides you with an overview of the PESCI, how to apply, the relevant cost and the process.

Background

Since the introduction of National Registration on the first of July 2010 the responsibility for registration has been taken over by the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and is administered by a Registration Committee of the Medical Board of Australia in each state. The Registration Committee will require some candidates entering General Practice to successfully complete a PESCI as a pre-requisite to being considered for conditional registration in their State or Territory.

What is a PESCI?

The PESCI is conducted to assess that the applicant has the knowledge, skills and experience to practice safely and effectively in the particular general practice position for which limited registration is sought.

The PESCI is an evaluation for suitability for a particular position. It is not an examination nor an assessment of an international medical graduate’s overall performance.

Cost

The candidate will be responsible for their personal travelling expenses to attend the face-to-face interview; or the cost associated with the arrangement of video conferencing.

Please note, a fee increase will occur for PESCI from the 1 July 2017 to $2,020.00.

PESCI interview

$2,020

PESCI review

50% of full PESCI fee

PESCI appeal

$1000

Fees are subject to CPI increase.

All fees are payable upon lodgment of application.

Payment options

An invoice will be provided for payment, upon successful application.

Payment instructions are provided in the invoice.

Eligibility

When applying for PESCI, candidates must provide proof of the following documents:

A medical qualification as listed on IMED (EICS verification)

Completed the Multi Choice Questionnaire (MCQ) component of the Australian Medical Council (AMC)

English test passed within the last two years, must be valid at time of interview OR current AHPRA registration

Each document is to be submitted as a PDF file labelled clearly, via email.

Incomplete application will not be processed.

Successful application will be advised via email.

Application must be submitted before availability is advised. Once a completed application is processed, the candidate will be contacted to schedule an interview date.

Generally, an interview is available within 3 - 9 weeks pending on the number of interview requests. Candidates should be prepared to undertake PESCI from the time application is lodged.

Rescheduling Interview

Once the candidate is notified of their interview date and time, the candidate may reschedule their interview if a request is received within 5 working days of notification. An administration fee of $300 will be charged for rescheduling after the 5 working days. Candidates cannot reschedule interviews within 15 working days of the interview.

Cancellation

If a candidate wishes to withdraw from the process after having paid the full amount, a request must be received in writing as soon as possible at the relevant Faculty.

Request for withdrawals made more than 10 working days prior to the interview date, will receive a 50% refund. Refunds will only be issued to the account that the payment was received from.

Requests for withdrawal that are received 10 days or less of the interview date, will not be refunded.

Re-sit PESCI

A candidate may represent, at the earliest within 3 months of their last interview. Proof of remediation may be required prior to scheduling the subsequent PESCI. Full PESCI fee applies.

Panel Structure

The interview panel comprises of three general practitioners (two panelists and a chairperson). The panel may also include a community member or a health professional.

Structure of interview

A PESCI consists of questions and cases asked by the panel to enable the candidate to demonstrate their knowledge and skills as outlined in their CV and in consideration to the proposed position description. The interviewers will provide guidance on what interaction is expected at each stage of the process. The time allocated for the interview is approximately 60 - 90 minutes.

The interview is designed to assess the candidate’s capacity in each of the following areas, as appropriate:

Medical Interviewing skills;

Physical Examination skills;

Clinical Judgment;

Treatment/Advice;

Communication skills;

Professionalism;

Procedural skills;

Relevant social and cultural needs.

Interviews (face-to-face) are regularly conducted in South Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania only. It is recommended that candidates apply to sit the PESCI in the state/territory in which they are seeking employment.

There is an expectation that candidates who are within Australia will attend the PESCI in person, however, interviews via video conference may be possible in some circumstances.

All Interviews will be audio recorded.

Video Conference option

Currently, PESCI via video conference is only available through our Tasmania faculty.

Video conference candidates are required to source a meeting room with video conferencing facilities, and bears all cost associated with video conferencing facility.

Candidates will need to provide to the RACGP the following:

Telephone number

IP Site Number

Coordinator’s details

Usually Universities or large hospitals will have these facilities. Testing of the connection will be coordinated by the RACGP. Candidates are responsible for paying for room hire costs. It is recommended that you ensure that your video conferencing provider enables access to IT support at the time of your interview to assist with any unforeseen technical difficulties. The RACGP will not be liable for any expenses associated with any video conferencing failure caused by technical faults. Please be advised that our video conferencing provider uses IP to establish a connection to conduct the interview.

An IP connection is a free service via the internet. Any alternative connection, such as ISDN, may incur a cost. The cost is to be determined at the time but can vary between $800 to $1700 per hour.

Please be advised that the additional cost for the connection other than IP will be at the candidate’s expense. An invoice would be presented to you once we have received the invoice amount from our provider. Please note that release of the interview results are subject to full payment of accounts.

The candidate must provide reliable invigilation to be available at time of the interview to confirm the candidate's identity and to ensure that the candidate is alone in the video conferencing room and not assisted during the interview.

All Interviews will be audio recorded.

PESCI Results

The PESCI Outcome report to the candidate, will be emailed to the candidate and the work sponsor / employer.

The PESCI report to the Medical Board of Australia will be sent to AHPRA directly.

These reports will be made available to the relevant parties within 10 working days from the date of interview

Review of PESCI

Review of the PESCI outcome can be requested in the following circumstances:

There is a change in job circumstance, prior to registration

As requested by AHPRA

The request of review must be received at the Faculty in writing by the IMG, no greater than 3-6 months post notification of the PESCI outcome (to the candidate) and only if the initial PESCI outcome was favourable. The panel will determine if a review based on documentation provided is sufficient or whether a full PESCI interview is required. The cost of a PESCI review attracts 50% of the full PESCI fee.

Appeal of PESCI

A candidate may appeal a PESCI recommendation, but only on the basis of procedural errors. Appeals on the basis of substantive matters or recommendation outcomes will be dismissed; recommendations cannot be overturned or amended by the appeal panel. Appeals must be in writing and received by the RACGP within 10 working days of the date of the PESCI Outcome report, along with an administration fee of $1000. Appeals are heard by an independent appeals panel. Candidates may not attend the appeal, however may provide a submission in support of their appeal. Candidates will be notified of the appeal outcome promptly following a decision. If successful, the administration fee is refundable, and candidates may be required to re-sit their PESCI (usually, at no charge).

Downloads

Help with downloads

Opening or saving files

Files on the website can be opened or downloaded and saved to your computer or device.

To open click on the link, your computer or device will try and open the file using compatible software.

To save the file right click or option-click the link and choose "Save As...". Follow the prompts to chose a location.

Types of file

PDF Most of the documents on the RACGP website are in Portable Document Format (PDF). These files will have "PDF" in brackets along with the filesize of the download. To open a PDF file you will need compatible software such as Adobe Reader. If you do not have it you can download Adobe Reader free of charge.

DOC Some documents on this site are in Microsoft Word format. These will have "DOC" in brackets along with the filesize of the download. To view these documents you will need software that can read Microsoft Word format. If you don't have anything you can download the MS Word Viewer free of charge.